What do you think?
Rate this book
The Books of the Raksura #4
The Edge of Worlds
An expedition of groundlings from the Empire of Kish have traveled through the Three Worlds to the Indigo Cloud court of the Raksura, shape-shifting creatures of flight that live in large family groups. The groundlings have found a sealed ancient city at the edge of the shallow seas, near the deeps of the impassable Ocean. They believe it to be the last home of their ancestors and ask for help getting inside. But the Raksura fear it was built by their own distant ancestors, the Forerunners, and the last sealed Forerunner city they encountered was a prison for an unstoppable evil.
Prior to the groundlings’ arrival, the Indigo Cloud court had been plagued by visions of a disaster that could destroy all the courts in the Reaches. Now, the court’s mentors believe the ancient city is connected to the foretold danger. A small group of warriors, including consort Moon, an orphan new to the colony and the Raksura’s idea of family, and sister queen Jade, agree to go with the groundling expedition to investigate. But the predatory Fell have found the city too, and in the race to keep the danger contained, the Raksura may be the ones who inadvertently release it.
The Edge of Worlds, from celebrated fantasy author Martha Wells, returns to the fascinating world of The Cloud Roads for the first book in a new series of strange lands, uncanny beings, dead cities, and ancient danger.
Prior to the groundlings’ arrival, the Indigo Cloud court had been plagued by visions of a disaster that could destroy all the courts in the Reaches. Now, the court’s mentors believe the ancient city is connected to the foretold danger. A small group of warriors, including consort Moon, an orphan new to the colony and the Raksura’s idea of family, and sister queen Jade, agree to go with the groundling expedition to investigate. But the predatory Fell have found the city too, and in the race to keep the danger contained, the Raksura may be the ones who inadvertently release it.
The Edge of Worlds, from celebrated fantasy author Martha Wells, returns to the fascinating world of The Cloud Roads for the first book in a new series of strange lands, uncanny beings, dead cities, and ancient danger.
439 pages, Kindle Edition
First published April 5, 2016
385 people are currently reading
3374 people want to read
About the author
Martha Wells
109 books24.8k followersMartha Wells has been an SF/F writer since her first fantasy novel was published in 1993, and her work includes The Books of the Raksura series, the Ile-Rien series, The Murderbot Diaries series, and other fantasy novels, most recently Witch King (Tordotcom, 2023). She has also written media tie-in fiction for Star Wars, Stargate: Atlantis, and Magic: the Gathering, as well as short fiction, YA novels, and non-fiction. She has won Nebula Awards, Hugo Awards, Locus Awards, and a Dragon Award, and her work has appeared on the Philip K. Dick Award ballot, the British Science Fiction Association Award ballot, the USA Today Bestseller List, the Sunday Times Bestseller List, and the New York Times Bestseller List. She is a member of the Texas Literary Hall of Fame, and her books have been published in twenty-five languages.
She is also a consulting producer on The Murderbot Diaries series for Apple TV+.
She is also a consulting producer on The Murderbot Diaries series for Apple TV+.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 399 reviews
Read
July 21, 2016Update: 17 February, 2016
Too many of my favorite books coming out on the same day! XD
Update: 18 July, 2015
BEST NEWS EVERRRRR! Another Raksura Book!
Spread the love!
Too many of my favorite books coming out on the same day! XD
Update: 18 July, 2015
BEST NEWS EVERRRRR! Another Raksura Book!
Spread the love!
July 13, 2022
I believe I five starred the three previous books but this one, although enjoyable, was not magical and it is a four star for me.
I still loved the Raksura characters and their way of life and relationships. There were some exciting moments, mostly towards the end of the book. However most of the book was a journey with every day events and too many non Raksura characters for me. I was never truly gripped as I was by past books although Moon and Stone both played their roles to perfection.
The ending was scary and left much up in the air. Not reading the next book is totally not an option!
I still loved the Raksura characters and their way of life and relationships. There were some exciting moments, mostly towards the end of the book. However most of the book was a journey with every day events and too many non Raksura characters for me. I was never truly gripped as I was by past books although Moon and Stone both played their roles to perfection.
The ending was scary and left much up in the air. Not reading the next book is totally not an option!
January 6, 2019
“If eyes fall on this, and no-one is here to greet you, then we have failed. Yet you exist, so our failure is not complete.”
Disclaimer: this is not a bad *bad* book. It is a bad *good* book. It simply gave me less that I have grown to expect from Martha Wells and the Books of the Raksura.
Since the whole series has been written in the 3+2 format, theoretically (although I would not recommend it) you can start your Raksura gig here. What makes this even more possible is the fact that all that happens in the first 100 pages or so is a recapitulation of what has already transpired and reading this novel back to back with its predecessors, I found the repetitions, sometimes down to the minor detail, a bit tedious.
If I unleashed my snark, I could even say that the whole book is a one fat rehash of the same pattern: 1) danger is identified, 2) long travel to a distant land ensues 3) giving the characters time to proceed with various personal dramas (angst incorporated) 4) which stop when they arrive at their destination 5) that turns out to be ancient magic/remnant of a gone civilisation.
Warmed-up plot devices from previous books are supplanted with the same set of tropes and so the old problems of identity (book 1), belonging (book 2) and past versus present (book 3) are revisited again and again sometimes in an angsty way more suitable for a YA than the adult fantasy tale. Also, the equilibrium between description-reflection-action that Ms Wells kept diligently throughout the original trilogy is lost here — and it baffles me because this book is longer than its predecessors so in theory, there was enough space to balance things out.
On top of issues with pacing the continuing gender problem exacerbated thinnes of character development in this instalment. As Moon is settling into his culturally ascribed role (and everybody takes this for granted) he has less opportunity for growth. And because this series was (and to a huge extent still is) Moon-centred, this affects the whole design. Because Moon is increasingly conforming to the predefined role within the Raksuran society, lack of rationale for seamlessness of this process made me feel that the book started expanding sideways, in breath not in depth.
This vast shallowness was also evident in the new insights into the Three Worlds. While again we meet new species and see new sights, in-depth exploration is not there. Also, with the introduction of a new (potentially fantastic!) protagonist , the fact that the series sports one-dimensional bad guys (the Fell) becomes truly jarring.
Maybe Ms Wells wanted to shift the focus from Moon to other characters. Indeed, there are POV-changes introduced for the first time in the series. However, the changed narratives and certain alterations when it comes to syntax (suddenly the Raksura are swearing casually, if mildly, and I really don’t understand why this occurs) made me wonder whether I am really still reading the same series.
In general, the novel is less compelling and vibrant; whereas the previous three were for me a one-sitting read, I struggled with the Edge of the Worlds as it was not able to grip me. Essentially it is a bloated version of The Serpent Sea with less action and character development, but more spectacular, albeit not so intricate, worldbuilding and an inconclusive ending, which means that if you invest your time here, you should be prepared to continue. Proceed with caution.
___
Also in the series:
1. The Cloud Roads ★★★★☆
2. The Serpent Sea ★★★★☆
3. The Siren Depths ★★★☆☆
5. The Harbors of the Sun ★★☆☆☆
Disclaimer: this is not a bad *bad* book. It is a bad *good* book. It simply gave me less that I have grown to expect from Martha Wells and the Books of the Raksura.
Since the whole series has been written in the 3+2 format, theoretically (although I would not recommend it) you can start your Raksura gig here. What makes this even more possible is the fact that all that happens in the first 100 pages or so is a recapitulation of what has already transpired and reading this novel back to back with its predecessors, I found the repetitions, sometimes down to the minor detail, a bit tedious.
If I unleashed my snark, I could even say that the whole book is a one fat rehash of the same pattern: 1) danger is identified, 2) long travel to a distant land ensues 3) giving the characters time to proceed with various personal dramas (angst incorporated) 4) which stop when they arrive at their destination 5) that turns out to be ancient magic/remnant of a gone civilisation.
Warmed-up plot devices from previous books are supplanted with the same set of tropes and so the old problems of identity (book 1), belonging (book 2) and past versus present (book 3) are revisited again and again sometimes in an angsty way more suitable for a YA than the adult fantasy tale. Also, the equilibrium between description-reflection-action that Ms Wells kept diligently throughout the original trilogy is lost here — and it baffles me because this book is longer than its predecessors so in theory, there was enough space to balance things out.
On top of issues with pacing the continuing gender problem exacerbated thinnes of character development in this instalment. As Moon is settling into his culturally ascribed role (and everybody takes this for granted) he has less opportunity for growth. And because this series was (and to a huge extent still is) Moon-centred, this affects the whole design. Because Moon is increasingly conforming to the predefined role within the Raksuran society, lack of rationale for seamlessness of this process made me feel that the book started expanding sideways, in breath not in depth.
This vast shallowness was also evident in the new insights into the Three Worlds. While again we meet new species and see new sights, in-depth exploration is not there. Also, with the introduction of a new (potentially fantastic!) protagonist , the fact that the series sports one-dimensional bad guys (the Fell) becomes truly jarring.
Maybe Ms Wells wanted to shift the focus from Moon to other characters. Indeed, there are POV-changes introduced for the first time in the series. However, the changed narratives and certain alterations when it comes to syntax (suddenly the Raksura are swearing casually, if mildly, and I really don’t understand why this occurs) made me wonder whether I am really still reading the same series.
In general, the novel is less compelling and vibrant; whereas the previous three were for me a one-sitting read, I struggled with the Edge of the Worlds as it was not able to grip me. Essentially it is a bloated version of The Serpent Sea with less action and character development, but more spectacular, albeit not so intricate, worldbuilding and an inconclusive ending, which means that if you invest your time here, you should be prepared to continue. Proceed with caution.
___
Also in the series:
1. The Cloud Roads ★★★★☆
2. The Serpent Sea ★★★★☆
3. The Siren Depths ★★★☆☆
5. The Harbors of the Sun ★★☆☆☆
October 28, 2020
My favorite author is continuing my favorite series. Doesn't get any better than this.
* * * * *
I'm always glad to be back in the Three Worlds and hanging out with the Indigo Cloud court--it's like coming home again. While this book is only one half of the adventure, it's still a fulfilling tale that makes you eager for more, and I'm eagerly looking forward to the other half of the story.
* * * * *
Update: May 2020
While everyone is getting their Murderbot fix with Network Effect, I'm returning to the Raksura and faffing about in the Three Worlds.
* * * * *
Reread: July 2020
Sometimes you just wanna be a sexy flying shapeshifting lizard person who lives in giant trees.
* * * * *
I'm always glad to be back in the Three Worlds and hanging out with the Indigo Cloud court--it's like coming home again. While this book is only one half of the adventure, it's still a fulfilling tale that makes you eager for more, and I'm eagerly looking forward to the other half of the story.
* * * * *
Update: May 2020
While everyone is getting their Murderbot fix with Network Effect, I'm returning to the Raksura and faffing about in the Three Worlds.
* * * * *
Reread: July 2020
Sometimes you just wanna be a sexy flying shapeshifting lizard person who lives in giant trees.
February 25, 2017
Final rating: 4.5/5 stars
And done! It was amazing! This review will be spoiler-less for non series readers up to the point I mark.
No quotes at the start because I highlighted so many sentences I forgot which one was the one I wanted to put. So no quotes this time.
For those unfamiliar with the series, I highly recommend it. This is 4th and at the same time 6th book in order (because of the two book in between that had a lot of short stories that were, in fact, useful and necessary to read). This series has everything. Literally. Did I tell you that this fantasy throws all standard human social norms and behaviors out of window? Because it does just that.
Reversed gender roles? Check.
Queens in charge? Check.
Dragonoid shapeshifters? Check.
Unique races and none of them are entirely human? Check.
LGBT? Check. Everyone is bisexual.
Polyamory? A standard in Raksuran Court.
A race that can choose their gender before maturity? Check.
Awesomeness? Check. Check. Check.
This series is among my absolute favorites from the book I. The Cloud Roads had everything that I hadn't known I needed and I loved it for it.
But I made a mistake. I should have waited for the last book, The Harbors of the Sun, to come out first. Why? Because it is the only book with the cliffhanger so far! If you hate cliffhangers, my advice is to wait, because this is a big one! I'm in agony called waiting.
I had a bit of an issue with pacing, but it was understandable because this time, we have an actual arc! And the first book in this arc gave us enough information of new characters and some of their culture and customs.
Did i mention amount of fluff it had? Tons of it! Tons of fluff, and I was surprised. And also other POVs than Moon's. The angst part hit near the end and it was like thiiiiiiiiiis, i have been waiting for thiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiis because Martha Wells knows how to angst.
From this point on, starts the section for Raksura fans, so if you are not a reader of this awesome series, don't read bellow, but go and get the first book!
I will be merging Story and Characters sections because they are already well established through the previous books and there is no more I can add, well, except for the new characters that appear such as Kalam (what a cutie) and Rorra (a badass sealing cutie). But on that a bit later. Some very slight spoilers, but nothing too serious.
There is actually no point in describing the plot of the story. The synopsis does a great job of it. There were twists in the story I certainly hadn't expected, and I was amused and saddened by them. I honestly can't wait to find out what happens in the sequel.
There is a lot of fluff between Chime and Moon, in a way even more than previous books, and I just loved that. There was also a lot of scenes between Jade and Moon, but I believe Chime and Moon took the spotlight this time. It's such a blessing that polyamory here is real and that we have a perfect triangle of fluff and cuteness. Honestly.
There were also POVs within Opal Night court members and Ember's as well. Ember is so nice, wonderful and even though he was so nervous, he figured out someone else needed help to escape, so he provided. I am proud to see that, because Ember is another wonderful character in this series.
Then there is Shade, who is traumatized a lot since the happenings in third book, but still has strength and will to go on in a dangerous territory.
I was wondering when Moon was going to lose it, to be honest. Through the first books, he was always on edge, not trusting anyone, but now that he finally realized that he found his home and that no one will abandon him anymore, he is more afraid of dying himself, or Jade dying, or both of them dying, because it would mean leaving their clutch orphans, just like he was. He was so overwhelmed with it that he wanted to stay home and take care of them. But then it changed and he went with Jade and other Raksura and groundlings on an expedition, trying to prevent the vision they all had shared. Don't get me wrong, as much as Moon is stable now, when it comes to Fell he can and he will fight, but there is always that underlying fear that Fell will capture him, and he himself knows what Fell have in store when it comes to Consorts like fear.
Chime still feels useless, but others are trying to tell him otherwise (also can you tell that I love him so damn much? he is adorable.) And he is still not confident in his flying (poor guy).
Delin is back, and he probably just kidnapped himself on this expedition. I shouldn't have expected it otherwise.
Drift crying over the fact that River is going with Moon and company to once again prove that he is useful and worthy of going with them because he lost his place in the court.
I was also so happy with the fact that Stone did not trust anyone on the Kish expedition to the measure he didn't want to show his other form and instead played a weak old man (that later turned into giant but you know, it was all for the shock effect).
Moon ended up with 8 children. How can he resist their cuteness? The short answer is... he can't.
Moon fake fainting? Oh he was successful.
I can't even. There were so many precious parts, like for example:
predators come on board, raksuran queen literally sends the message - you boarded the wrong ship you little shits - and they collectively nope and fly away. And many more parts like that one.
From the new characters I will talk the most about Kalam and Rorra. Because they left the biggest impression on me. Of course, the whole crew was interesting, but I have no time nor will to write about them all. So, here we go.
Also, Rorra is amazing(not)mermaid sealing who lost her fins and now she decided to stay aboard and help her newfound family. She is also just... adorable and has an aura of irritating races with good scents but she can't help it. Stone is immune though.... *Winks*
Kalam is adorable. He comes from a species (Janderan) that does not chose gender until they reach maturity. He chose to be male and is maybe a bit too sheltered by his father Callumkal and is generally just inexperienced, sometimes nervous and adorkable (he entered sealing drug bar by accident instead of a trading station and Stone and Moon had to rescue him). I definitely didn't expect him to have a crush on , but he was so fascinated with them that it wasn't all that surprising? Hehehe.
And finally, the Fell. Here's a twist. There was a who is a confused little bubble of insecurities and is prone to making mistakes, but it was definitely a Fell Flight I wanted to know more about and I can't wait for more of them in the future.
Great sequel. Not as amazing as the books before, but it is a set up for the bigger picture, ends up with a cliffhanger and is cute, fluffy, with angst at the end, full of adventure, awkward moments, some bad flirting, fake fainting, catching boyfriend so he doesn't crash land, mentors being mentors and arguing who should go, the royal clutch #1 being reasonable bunch, cuties being cuties, a lot of alksdjalksdjlasjasd moments.
OTHER IMPORTANT INFO:
⚠ Standalone: No. Part of a series.
⚠ Point of View: Third POV, multiply characters.
⚠ Cliffhanger: Yeeeeeees
⚠ Triggers: nothing new
⚠ Angst: Mostly near the end :D
⚠ Recommended: Just read this and scream with me
◈ The Cloud Roads (Books of the Raksura, #1)
◈ The Serpent Sea (Books of the Raksura, #2)
◈ The Siren Depths (Books of the Raksura, #3)
◈ Stories of the Raksura, Volume 1: The Falling World & The Tale of Indigo and Cloud
◈ Stories of the Raksura, Volume 2: The Dead City & The Dark Earth Below
◈ The Edge of Worlds (The Books of the Raksura, #4)
And done! It was amazing! This review will be spoiler-less for non series readers up to the point I mark.
No quotes at the start because I highlighted so many sentences I forgot which one was the one I wanted to put. So no quotes this time.
For those unfamiliar with the series, I highly recommend it. This is 4th and at the same time 6th book in order (because of the two book in between that had a lot of short stories that were, in fact, useful and necessary to read). This series has everything. Literally. Did I tell you that this fantasy throws all standard human social norms and behaviors out of window? Because it does just that.
Reversed gender roles? Check.
Queens in charge? Check.
Dragonoid shapeshifters? Check.
Unique races and none of them are entirely human? Check.
LGBT? Check. Everyone is bisexual.
Polyamory? A standard in Raksuran Court.
A race that can choose their gender before maturity? Check.
Awesomeness? Check. Check. Check.
This series is among my absolute favorites from the book I. The Cloud Roads had everything that I hadn't known I needed and I loved it for it.
But I made a mistake. I should have waited for the last book, The Harbors of the Sun, to come out first. Why? Because it is the only book with the cliffhanger so far! If you hate cliffhangers, my advice is to wait, because this is a big one! I'm in agony called waiting.
I had a bit of an issue with pacing, but it was understandable because this time, we have an actual arc! And the first book in this arc gave us enough information of new characters and some of their culture and customs.
Did i mention amount of fluff it had? Tons of it! Tons of fluff, and I was surprised. And also other POVs than Moon's. The angst part hit near the end and it was like thiiiiiiiiiis, i have been waiting for thiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiis because Martha Wells knows how to angst.
From this point on, starts the section for Raksura fans, so if you are not a reader of this awesome series, don't read bellow, but go and get the first book!
► STORY & CHARACTERS:
I will be merging Story and Characters sections because they are already well established through the previous books and there is no more I can add, well, except for the new characters that appear such as Kalam (what a cutie) and Rorra (a badass sealing cutie). But on that a bit later. Some very slight spoilers, but nothing too serious.
There is actually no point in describing the plot of the story. The synopsis does a great job of it. There were twists in the story I certainly hadn't expected, and I was amused and saddened by them. I honestly can't wait to find out what happens in the sequel.
There is a lot of fluff between Chime and Moon, in a way even more than previous books, and I just loved that. There was also a lot of scenes between Jade and Moon, but I believe Chime and Moon took the spotlight this time. It's such a blessing that polyamory here is real and that we have a perfect triangle of fluff and cuteness. Honestly.
There were also POVs within Opal Night court members and Ember's as well. Ember is so nice, wonderful and even though he was so nervous, he figured out someone else needed help to escape, so he provided. I am proud to see that, because Ember is another wonderful character in this series.
Then there is Shade, who is traumatized a lot since the happenings in third book, but still has strength and will to go on in a dangerous territory.
I was wondering when Moon was going to lose it, to be honest. Through the first books, he was always on edge, not trusting anyone, but now that he finally realized that he found his home and that no one will abandon him anymore, he is more afraid of dying himself, or Jade dying, or both of them dying, because it would mean leaving their clutch orphans, just like he was. He was so overwhelmed with it that he wanted to stay home and take care of them. But then it changed and he went with Jade and other Raksura and groundlings on an expedition, trying to prevent the vision they all had shared. Don't get me wrong, as much as Moon is stable now, when it comes to Fell he can and he will fight, but there is always that underlying fear that Fell will capture him, and he himself knows what Fell have in store when it comes to Consorts like fear.
Chime still feels useless, but others are trying to tell him otherwise (also can you tell that I love him so damn much? he is adorable.) And he is still not confident in his flying (poor guy).
Delin is back, and he probably just kidnapped himself on this expedition. I shouldn't have expected it otherwise.
Drift crying over the fact that River is going with Moon and company to once again prove that he is useful and worthy of going with them because he lost his place in the court.
I was also so happy with the fact that Stone did not trust anyone on the Kish expedition to the measure he didn't want to show his other form and instead played a weak old man (that later turned into giant but you know, it was all for the shock effect).
Moon ended up with 8 children. How can he resist their cuteness? The short answer is... he can't.
Moon fake fainting? Oh he was successful.
I can't even. There were so many precious parts, like for example:
predators come on board, raksuran queen literally sends the message - you boarded the wrong ship you little shits - and they collectively nope and fly away. And many more parts like that one.
From the new characters I will talk the most about Kalam and Rorra. Because they left the biggest impression on me. Of course, the whole crew was interesting, but I have no time nor will to write about them all. So, here we go.
Also, Rorra is amazing
Kalam is adorable. He comes from a species (Janderan) that does not chose gender until they reach maturity. He chose to be male and is maybe a bit too sheltered by his father Callumkal and is generally just inexperienced, sometimes nervous and adorkable (he entered sealing drug bar by accident instead of a trading station and Stone and Moon had to rescue him). I definitely didn't expect him to have a crush on , but he was so fascinated with them that it wasn't all that surprising? Hehehe.
And finally, the Fell. Here's a twist. There was a who is a confused little bubble of insecurities and is prone to making mistakes, but it was definitely a Fell Flight I wanted to know more about and I can't wait for more of them in the future.
► OVERALL:
Great sequel. Not as amazing as the books before, but it is a set up for the bigger picture, ends up with a cliffhanger and is cute, fluffy, with angst at the end, full of adventure, awkward moments, some bad flirting, fake fainting, catching boyfriend so he doesn't crash land, mentors being mentors and arguing who should go, the royal clutch #1 being reasonable bunch, cuties being cuties, a lot of alksdjalksdjlasjasd moments.
OTHER IMPORTANT INFO:
⚠ Standalone: No. Part of a series.
⚠ Point of View: Third POV, multiply characters.
⚠ Cliffhanger: Yeeeeeees
⚠ Triggers: nothing new
⚠ Angst: Mostly near the end :D
⚠ Recommended: Just read this and scream with me
► REVIEW(S) RELATED TO THIS BOOK:
◈ The Cloud Roads (Books of the Raksura, #1)
◈ The Serpent Sea (Books of the Raksura, #2)
◈ The Siren Depths (Books of the Raksura, #3)
◈ Stories of the Raksura, Volume 1: The Falling World & The Tale of Indigo and Cloud
◈ Stories of the Raksura, Volume 2: The Dead City & The Dark Earth Below
◈ The Edge of Worlds (The Books of the Raksura, #4)
July 3, 2016
4 of 5 stars at The BiblioSanctum https://bibliosanctum.com/2016/07/03/...
The Edge of Worlds is the fourth novel of Martha Wells’ Books of the Raksura. I haven’t actually read any of the previous installments (unless you count the short story collections), so I had some initial concerns about jumping in mid-series despite it being billed as a new adventure. Happily though, this turned out to be a pretty great place to start my Raksura journey, and I would strongly encourage others to try it out as well.
The story begins with a shared nightmare. Moon wakes up from a dream about an attack from the Fell, the enemy of the Raksura, and finds out that everyone else in Indigo Cloud court also experienced the same visions. No one is sure how to interpret what they saw, but they do know that an omen like this cannot be ignored. Soon, their worries are compounded with the arrival of a groundling emissary who tells them that the people of Kish have discovered an ancient sealed city by the sea. Callumkal, the leader of the groundling expedition, intends to find a way into the city and has come to the Raksura asking for help in this endeavor.
The Raksura are torn on how to move forward. There are fears that this ancient city may have been built by the forerunners, distant Raksuran ancestors, and no one could forget that the last sealed forerunner city they encountered was actually a prison for a monstrous creature of evil. In the end though, the Raksura of Indigo Cloud court decide to help the groundlings, splitting themselves up into two groups. One group would remain behind to guard the colony, while the other one would accompany the groundling expedition to investigate the mysterious city.
I’ve said this before and I’ll say it again; the Raksura are one of the most original fantasy races I’ve ever encountered in fantasy fiction. For those who are unfamiliar with them, taking in the sheer amount of information about Raksuran culture, physiology, and social hierarchy will probably be the most overwhelming aspect should you decided to start the series here. The truth is, the plot of The Edge of Worlds is actually quite simple and straightforward. But the Raksura themselves? Not so much. There are a lot of characters to meet, details to learn. I think I would have struggled more had I not received a crash course about the Raksuran race back when I read volume one of Stories of the Raksura.
Basically, the Raksura are shapeshifters whose physical characteristics remind me of bird-people, but their societies are reminiscent of insect colonies. There’s a queen who rules, and she and her mate called a Consort will produce royal clutches composed of Queens, Consorts, as well as Warriors that are infertile males and females who defend the court. All three of these types are capable of flight, and they are called the Aeriat. Then there are the Arbora, who are Raksura that have no wings but are capable climbers. They are made up of Teachers who oversee the young, Hunters who provide food, Soldiers who guard the colony, and Mentors who are seers with magical abilities.
It’s a bit overwhelming at first, but all the information about Raksuran ways can be picked up on the fly (no pun intended). Wells was clearly writing with new readers in mind, because she provides plenty of information for us to understand what’s happening. Presumably, this book also takes place after the events of the previous novel The Siren Depths, so there’s a lot of recap about what went on in the Raksura’s previous encounter with a sealed forerunner city, along with the history of the Fell.
And speaking of the Raksura’s enemies, I loved the suspenseful build-up to their arrival at the ancient city. Martha Wells fills the expedition’s journey with interesting events, so that even the parts that involved traveling were enjoyable and engaging. As I said, the novel’s plot is actually very simple, but you get an incredibly rich experience nonetheless thanks to the fantastic world-building and smooth pacing.
This was also the first time I got to have quality time with Moon, the series protagonist. I only got to know him briefly from the first anthology, so I really enjoyed seeing him as a more fleshed-out character here, settled into his life at Indigo Cloud. From the short stories, I was able to glean some details of Moon’s past, so I know that he grew up very differently than his fellow Raksura and therefore still has much to learn about the culture of the court, as well as how to be a Consort. His behavior and ways of thinking make him something of a wild card among his peers, and it’s fascinating to see how that affects the social dynamics.
In sum, I can personally attest that The Edge of Worlds is a good starting point for readers new to the world of the Raksura. Taking in all its beauty and wonders may take some time, but it’s worth it. There’s certainly no lack of creativity in this series, making it perfect for fantasy readers looking to escape into a totally original tale and setting.
Audiobook comments: The audio edition of The Edge of Worlds is narrated by Christopher Kipiniak, who also provides his voice for all the other audiobooks in the series. I’ve long heard about his excellent performance on these books, but this is the first I’ve ever listened for myself. He has a very rich and powerful voice, and I think much of the atmosphere I felt from the story was thanks to his superb narration. Some of his voices for female characters sound awkward to me, but I’m still beyond impressed by the huge range of voices he is able to perform. I never had any problems distinguishing who was talking, and considering the large cast of characters in this novel, that’s no small feat.
The Edge of Worlds is the fourth novel of Martha Wells’ Books of the Raksura. I haven’t actually read any of the previous installments (unless you count the short story collections), so I had some initial concerns about jumping in mid-series despite it being billed as a new adventure. Happily though, this turned out to be a pretty great place to start my Raksura journey, and I would strongly encourage others to try it out as well.
The story begins with a shared nightmare. Moon wakes up from a dream about an attack from the Fell, the enemy of the Raksura, and finds out that everyone else in Indigo Cloud court also experienced the same visions. No one is sure how to interpret what they saw, but they do know that an omen like this cannot be ignored. Soon, their worries are compounded with the arrival of a groundling emissary who tells them that the people of Kish have discovered an ancient sealed city by the sea. Callumkal, the leader of the groundling expedition, intends to find a way into the city and has come to the Raksura asking for help in this endeavor.
The Raksura are torn on how to move forward. There are fears that this ancient city may have been built by the forerunners, distant Raksuran ancestors, and no one could forget that the last sealed forerunner city they encountered was actually a prison for a monstrous creature of evil. In the end though, the Raksura of Indigo Cloud court decide to help the groundlings, splitting themselves up into two groups. One group would remain behind to guard the colony, while the other one would accompany the groundling expedition to investigate the mysterious city.
I’ve said this before and I’ll say it again; the Raksura are one of the most original fantasy races I’ve ever encountered in fantasy fiction. For those who are unfamiliar with them, taking in the sheer amount of information about Raksuran culture, physiology, and social hierarchy will probably be the most overwhelming aspect should you decided to start the series here. The truth is, the plot of The Edge of Worlds is actually quite simple and straightforward. But the Raksura themselves? Not so much. There are a lot of characters to meet, details to learn. I think I would have struggled more had I not received a crash course about the Raksuran race back when I read volume one of Stories of the Raksura.
Basically, the Raksura are shapeshifters whose physical characteristics remind me of bird-people, but their societies are reminiscent of insect colonies. There’s a queen who rules, and she and her mate called a Consort will produce royal clutches composed of Queens, Consorts, as well as Warriors that are infertile males and females who defend the court. All three of these types are capable of flight, and they are called the Aeriat. Then there are the Arbora, who are Raksura that have no wings but are capable climbers. They are made up of Teachers who oversee the young, Hunters who provide food, Soldiers who guard the colony, and Mentors who are seers with magical abilities.
It’s a bit overwhelming at first, but all the information about Raksuran ways can be picked up on the fly (no pun intended). Wells was clearly writing with new readers in mind, because she provides plenty of information for us to understand what’s happening. Presumably, this book also takes place after the events of the previous novel The Siren Depths, so there’s a lot of recap about what went on in the Raksura’s previous encounter with a sealed forerunner city, along with the history of the Fell.
And speaking of the Raksura’s enemies, I loved the suspenseful build-up to their arrival at the ancient city. Martha Wells fills the expedition’s journey with interesting events, so that even the parts that involved traveling were enjoyable and engaging. As I said, the novel’s plot is actually very simple, but you get an incredibly rich experience nonetheless thanks to the fantastic world-building and smooth pacing.
This was also the first time I got to have quality time with Moon, the series protagonist. I only got to know him briefly from the first anthology, so I really enjoyed seeing him as a more fleshed-out character here, settled into his life at Indigo Cloud. From the short stories, I was able to glean some details of Moon’s past, so I know that he grew up very differently than his fellow Raksura and therefore still has much to learn about the culture of the court, as well as how to be a Consort. His behavior and ways of thinking make him something of a wild card among his peers, and it’s fascinating to see how that affects the social dynamics.
In sum, I can personally attest that The Edge of Worlds is a good starting point for readers new to the world of the Raksura. Taking in all its beauty and wonders may take some time, but it’s worth it. There’s certainly no lack of creativity in this series, making it perfect for fantasy readers looking to escape into a totally original tale and setting.
Audiobook comments: The audio edition of The Edge of Worlds is narrated by Christopher Kipiniak, who also provides his voice for all the other audiobooks in the series. I’ve long heard about his excellent performance on these books, but this is the first I’ve ever listened for myself. He has a very rich and powerful voice, and I think much of the atmosphere I felt from the story was thanks to his superb narration. Some of his voices for female characters sound awkward to me, but I’m still beyond impressed by the huge range of voices he is able to perform. I never had any problems distinguishing who was talking, and considering the large cast of characters in this novel, that’s no small feat.
December 29, 2018
*binge-binge-binge* Series binge BR with the lovely Mayim
Because we love Moon and Malachite rocks!!!
This one is more action than feeling but I still loved it.
And just a little warning: make sure you have the sequel at hand when starting this one because... cliffhanger that will make you want to start the next book on the spot! In fact, I'm doing that right now. :D
Because we love Moon and Malachite rocks!!!
This one is more action than feeling but I still loved it.
And just a little warning: make sure you have the sequel at hand when starting this one because... cliffhanger that will make you want to start the next book on the spot! In fact, I'm doing that right now. :D
February 20, 2020
Hmm [3.5 Stars]
Video Review:
https://youtu.be/slCdpMv__Mw
I love the Books of Raksura series. I love Moon and Jade and Chime - basically, all the characters. I especially liked the introduced characters in this. We haven't seen too many sealings, so getting to know more about them in this was great. I really like learning more about the other different species of people in this world generally and how their customs overlap and differ. I love the explorations of these open-ish relationships, where Moon is romantically and physically involved with both Chime and Jade. I like that Moon is the little spoon in almost every scene with Jade. Even when the cuddling is in a more non-romantic, familial situation, Raksura are very touchy-feely. Raksura can be cuddling with their sibling one moment and then gutting a Fell in the next. Awesome!
I have mixed feelings about how long this installment takes to get moving. I appreciated that we got a lot of recap of who was who and how they were related to each other. It's been years since I read the two collections of short stories/novellas, so it was awesome to be gently reintroduced to everything. However, it took much longer than necessary for things to get going. Besides a one-time hunting skirmish at the beginning, the plot of this one is SLOW to pick up. There is a lot of traveling which takes up the vast majority of this book.
I think this installment and the next one probably go together very well, but this book doesn't have a whole lot of catharsis when you finish it. There is so much build up, with going to another ancient city with secrets to discover inside, that I expected much more from it. Don't get me wrong, there are a lot of things in motion that I'm excited to know more about. I'm pumped to see Shade and Lithe more. I really want to see their positions within the greater Raksuran culture explored further. I want more on what was discovered in the city (which I'm sure we'll get), but I thought some of the smaller plots would be completely wrapped up in this other than just knowing what was in the city.
I also thought the situation that we're in at the end of the book was so predictable because the foreshadowing was pretty heavy-handed. I won't spoil it for anyone, but I'd be shocked if people don't know exactly whats coming from miles away.
All that said, I still love this world, these characters, and this culture. I'm here for anything Raksura and Martha Wells, so I'll be reading The Harbors of the Sun soon (hopefully)!
Video Review:
https://youtu.be/slCdpMv__Mw
I love the Books of Raksura series. I love Moon and Jade and Chime - basically, all the characters. I especially liked the introduced characters in this. We haven't seen too many sealings, so getting to know more about them in this was great. I really like learning more about the other different species of people in this world generally and how their customs overlap and differ. I love the explorations of these open-ish relationships, where Moon is romantically and physically involved with both Chime and Jade. I like that Moon is the little spoon in almost every scene with Jade. Even when the cuddling is in a more non-romantic, familial situation, Raksura are very touchy-feely. Raksura can be cuddling with their sibling one moment and then gutting a Fell in the next. Awesome!
I have mixed feelings about how long this installment takes to get moving. I appreciated that we got a lot of recap of who was who and how they were related to each other. It's been years since I read the two collections of short stories/novellas, so it was awesome to be gently reintroduced to everything. However, it took much longer than necessary for things to get going. Besides a one-time hunting skirmish at the beginning, the plot of this one is SLOW to pick up. There is a lot of traveling which takes up the vast majority of this book.
I think this installment and the next one probably go together very well, but this book doesn't have a whole lot of catharsis when you finish it. There is so much build up, with going to another ancient city with secrets to discover inside, that I expected much more from it. Don't get me wrong, there are a lot of things in motion that I'm excited to know more about. I'm pumped to see Shade and Lithe more. I really want to see their positions within the greater Raksuran culture explored further. I want more on what was discovered in the city (which I'm sure we'll get), but I thought some of the smaller plots would be completely wrapped up in this other than just knowing what was in the city.
I also thought the situation that we're in at the end of the book was so predictable because the foreshadowing was pretty heavy-handed. I won't spoil it for anyone, but I'd be shocked if people don't know exactly whats coming from miles away.
All that said, I still love this world, these characters, and this culture. I'm here for anything Raksura and Martha Wells, so I'll be reading The Harbors of the Sun soon (hopefully)!
November 14, 2018
This book doesn't have a conclusive ending and is best read back to back with The Harbors of the Sun.
February 6, 2017
Donde tenemos al pobre Moon que estaba tan tranquilito en lo de IndigoyCloud , recién asentándose y echando raices , aunque creo que han pasado como 2 años desde el inicio de serie y todavia le queda algo de emo esperando que todo se le escape entre las zarpas, y paf que una tremenda pesadilla sacude a todo el mundo y se ven en el dilema de esperar a que los problemas lleguen o ir a cortarlos de raiz, o ... ¿será que el viajecito será el detonante a lo que no quieren que pase?
Me acabo de dar cuenta de algo... me aburren mucho los barcos. Incluso los barcos voladores.
(aunque lo bueno es que a diferencia del steampunk, todos estos funcionan con musguitos y pedazos de piedra, no pregunten como porque ni idea.; asi que son no-contaminantes). El que todo sea comestible en más de un punto de la historia -incluyendo protagonistas y antagonistas- tambien te hace sentir bastante eco-amistoso , jaja.
(de ahi la bajada de estrellita,; además de que el misterio es bastante predecible)
Uf, y lo de Delin
...no me digas :rodado de ojos:
Adoro a todos los personajes, en especial a Stone, Moon, y hasta a Shade lo veo un poco como al Nico de las historias de Percy Jackson.
Las reinas son quienes cuidan , protegen, toman decisiones, y cortan el queque, pero un vistazo en la siquis de Malachite y Pearl me agradaria muchisimo.
Por primera vez hay distintos POV en la historia, ya no solamente se trata de Moon. Ember es un personaje del que me agradaria saber más también.
Y me esta gustando hasta River, con eso de querer redimirse y lo demás.
Me gustan los fuertes lazos sociales que existen entre los Raksura, a pesar de las pequeñas desaveniencias son fuertemente unidos y protectores, y les encanta dormir todos juntos :P
Bueno y les fue igual que a los que ...
Ahora a esperar con ansias... ¡JULIO! y el próximo libro
------------------
Construccion de Mundo: Genial. De un escenario a otro.
Diversidad: Gente dragon de colores, con color bronce en el otro estado de protas. Y resto de seres pensantes en todas formas, colores, escamas, plumas y agallas.
Sexo: Nada explicito. LGBT, de hecho a nadie le importa.
Roles segun género: Las féminas son más grandes, más fuertes; reinas y guerreras. Los consortes viven en una especie de harem, protegidos.
Me acabo de dar cuenta de algo... me aburren mucho los barcos. Incluso los barcos voladores.
(aunque lo bueno es que a diferencia del steampunk, todos estos funcionan con musguitos y pedazos de piedra, no pregunten como porque ni idea.; asi que son no-contaminantes). El que todo sea comestible en más de un punto de la historia -incluyendo protagonistas y antagonistas- tambien te hace sentir bastante eco-amistoso , jaja.
(de ahi la bajada de estrellita,; además de que el misterio es bastante predecible)
Uf, y lo de Delin
For a race who had supposedly originally used their shapeshifting abilities to trap and prey on groundlings, Raksura were lousy liars.
...no me digas :rodado de ojos:
Adoro a todos los personajes, en especial a Stone, Moon, y hasta a Shade lo veo un poco como al Nico de las historias de Percy Jackson.
He still didn’t want to die somewhere in the wilds of the Three Worlds and miss the important moments, like teaching the new clutch how to fly and hunt and fight, and the all-important task of making sure they ended up with the right mates, or at least the mates they actually wanted, whether they were right or not.
Las reinas son quienes cuidan , protegen, toman decisiones, y cortan el queque, pero un vistazo en la siquis de Malachite y Pearl me agradaria muchisimo.
When Jade and Moon had taken seats, Bone said, “We’ve been speaking among ourselves—”
Pearl, without twitching a spine, said dryly, “You know I hate that.”
Moon couldn’t do anything but stare. Pearl had just made a joke.
Bone, the only one who wasn’t fazed, said, wryly, “Yes, I know. But we think at least one other Arbora should go [...]
Jade didn’t react, but Pearl lifted a brow and said, “This is what comes of thinking.”
Por primera vez hay distintos POV en la historia, ya no solamente se trata de Moon. Ember es un personaje del que me agradaria saber más también.
Y me esta gustando hasta River, con eso de querer redimirse y lo demás.
Me gustan los fuertes lazos sociales que existen entre los Raksura, a pesar de las pequeñas desaveniencias son fuertemente unidos y protectores, y les encanta dormir todos juntos :P
Bueno y les fue igual que a los que ...
Ahora a esperar con ansias... ¡JULIO! y el próximo libro
------------------
Construccion de Mundo: Genial. De un escenario a otro.
Diversidad: Gente dragon de colores, con color bronce en el otro estado de protas. Y resto de seres pensantes en todas formas, colores, escamas, plumas y agallas.
Sexo: Nada explicito. LGBT, de hecho a nadie le importa.
Roles segun género: Las féminas son más grandes, más fuertes; reinas y guerreras. Los consortes viven en una especie de harem, protegidos.
February 21, 2021
3.5 stars rounded down because the rhythm of the story was somehow uneven, and I wasn’t completely able to immerse in the tale. At any rate, it’s good to be back in the Raksura’s company. I’m going to start reading the next book straightaway.
December 31, 2016
Stunning - I finished it 6 months ago and am still not worthy to write a review! In this fourth book Martha Wells takes us on the beginning of a whole new adventure with the people of the Indigo Cloud court, expanding on some plot elements from the first three books. You really should read the first three before Edge of Worlds to get the full impact of the plot elements, although Wells' writing is good enough that it is possible to read this one by itself.
So since June I've been drumming my fingers on a figurative table, waiting waiting WAITING for the fifth book to come out! Guess I'll just have to re-read the previous four books while I wait ... :D
So since June I've been drumming my fingers on a figurative table, waiting waiting WAITING for the fifth book to come out! Guess I'll just have to re-read the previous four books while I wait ... :D
January 2, 2019
While this is book four in the series, it picks up some years after the first trilogy, and it forms a duology with the next book (there's no conclusion in this one).
The Indigo Cloud Court has been peaceful for a long time but that peace is shattered when nearly the entire Court has a shared dream of a Fell attack. Soon after a new flying boat arrives with strange groundlings and an old friend of the Raksura. They bring news of a found ancient city of a type similar to the one that caused so much trouble in the previous book. An expedition is mounted, but like before, the Fell are in the race as well with the prophetic dream indicating what's at stake.
I love reading about the world of the Raksura. It's interesting from the point of view of an ancient lived-in world with many intelligent species coexisting in many different environments, as well as the rigorous construction of the Raksura themselves. The emotional journey inthis one isn't as compelling as in previous volumes. Moon is so clearly grounded with his Court now, doubly so now that he has relations with his birth Court. There's more of the half-Fell half-Raksura in this book which is interesting, but not enough to satisfy. It's clear there will be much more in the next book.
There's also some issues around pacing, with nearly a third of the book gone before the mission is embarked on and large parts of the book then end up feeling like a D&D dungeon crawl with little emotional heft. Lots of setup for an interesting finale though.
The Indigo Cloud Court has been peaceful for a long time but that peace is shattered when nearly the entire Court has a shared dream of a Fell attack. Soon after a new flying boat arrives with strange groundlings and an old friend of the Raksura. They bring news of a found ancient city of a type similar to the one that caused so much trouble in the previous book. An expedition is mounted, but like before, the Fell are in the race as well with the prophetic dream indicating what's at stake.
I love reading about the world of the Raksura. It's interesting from the point of view of an ancient lived-in world with many intelligent species coexisting in many different environments, as well as the rigorous construction of the Raksura themselves. The emotional journey inthis one isn't as compelling as in previous volumes. Moon is so clearly grounded with his Court now, doubly so now that he has relations with his birth Court. There's more of the half-Fell half-Raksura in this book which is interesting, but not enough to satisfy. It's clear there will be much more in the next book.
There's also some issues around pacing, with nearly a third of the book gone before the mission is embarked on and large parts of the book then end up feeling like a D&D dungeon crawl with little emotional heft. Lots of setup for an interesting finale though.
July 15, 2017
Yes! A new Raksura series! Full length novels about Indigo Cloud, with Moon and Jade.
Sign. Me. Up. Thank you Martha Wells.
Sign. Me. Up. Thank you Martha Wells.
November 15, 2017
This book marks the start of a new adventure for Moon, Jade, and the Raksura of Indigo Cloud. A dream shared by all the members of the colony indicates their enemies, the vicious Fell, may soon attack and destroy Indigo Cloud. It's not until an old friend arrives in company with others who have an unusual proposition that they begin to make sense of the dream. The newcomers, the Kish, have found an ancient, uninhabited city they can't get into, and they know the Raksura have explored such a city before. The fact that that city held prisoner a terrible creature doesn't seem to matter to the Kish, who only care about learning more about their own past. Convinced that this new city may be the key to defeating the Fell, the young queen Jade takes an assortment of Raksura and her consort Moon along on a journey that will end in a way none of them expected.
The thing I love about Martha Wells's books is how insanely creative they are. She comes up with new cultures and races like they're some kind of cerebral dandruff, just tossed off at a whim fully-formed and beautiful. I'm particularly fond of the gender role inversion among the Raksura, where the male consorts are protected and expected to care for the children and look pretty, while the queens are strong-willed and always putting themselves in danger. Moon, who started life as a near-feral outsider, has grown by book 4 into someone who cares about his colony and, while not the perfect example of an ideal consort, shows that he understands and respects his role despite not always living up to it. Here, he's torn between wanting to stay behind and knowing his queen needs him to be that not-perfect consort. He's still a great viewpoint character, the outsider who has to have things explained to him as the reader does, but he's grown from the earlier books.
I'm still very fond of Stone, the line-grandfather ancient consort, and he's just one of the great supporting characters. There are quite a few of them, as Jade needs plenty of support in her quest, and Wells does an excellent job of distinguishing all the Raksura as well as the other "groundlings" who interact with them. We see a little less of Jade than in the earlier books, which is unfortunate, but overall the characterization is splendid.
Of course, this is the start of a new adventure, and I saw the end of the book coming up fast and knew something bad was going to happen. Which it did. Wells leaves the story in a good place, not a cliffhanger so much as suspended action; the heroes have direction and the ability to follow it, and I anticipate the next book being even more exciting.
The thing I love about Martha Wells's books is how insanely creative they are. She comes up with new cultures and races like they're some kind of cerebral dandruff, just tossed off at a whim fully-formed and beautiful. I'm particularly fond of the gender role inversion among the Raksura, where the male consorts are protected and expected to care for the children and look pretty, while the queens are strong-willed and always putting themselves in danger. Moon, who started life as a near-feral outsider, has grown by book 4 into someone who cares about his colony and, while not the perfect example of an ideal consort, shows that he understands and respects his role despite not always living up to it. Here, he's torn between wanting to stay behind and knowing his queen needs him to be that not-perfect consort. He's still a great viewpoint character, the outsider who has to have things explained to him as the reader does, but he's grown from the earlier books.
I'm still very fond of Stone, the line-grandfather ancient consort, and he's just one of the great supporting characters. There are quite a few of them, as Jade needs plenty of support in her quest, and Wells does an excellent job of distinguishing all the Raksura as well as the other "groundlings" who interact with them. We see a little less of Jade than in the earlier books, which is unfortunate, but overall the characterization is splendid.
Of course, this is the start of a new adventure, and I saw the end of the book coming up fast and knew something bad was going to happen. Which it did. Wells leaves the story in a good place, not a cliffhanger so much as suspended action; the heroes have direction and the ability to follow it, and I anticipate the next book being even more exciting.
January 4, 2019
3.5 stars
While I didn't like this one as much as the absolutely excellent third book, The Siren Depths, this fourth book in the Books of the Raksura series was nonetheless very good by the end.
My main issue was that the first half wasn't as suffused with emotion or evenly paced as I have found the earlier books to be, however, things did pick up substantially and become much more emotional in the second half. Whatever the pacing issues, I continue to be quite astounded at the sheer originality of the worldbuilding, and The Edge of Worlds did indeed let that creativity shine.
And what a cliffhanger ending! I'm really glad the concluding book, The Harbors of the Sun, is already available for me to read.
While I didn't like this one as much as the absolutely excellent third book, The Siren Depths, this fourth book in the Books of the Raksura series was nonetheless very good by the end.
My main issue was that the first half wasn't as suffused with emotion or evenly paced as I have found the earlier books to be, however, things did pick up substantially and become much more emotional in the second half. Whatever the pacing issues, I continue to be quite astounded at the sheer originality of the worldbuilding, and The Edge of Worlds did indeed let that creativity shine.
And what a cliffhanger ending! I'm really glad the concluding book, The Harbors of the Sun, is already available for me to read.
January 27, 2019
I love Martha Wells. Long before Murderbot we had Moon. I read the original series about six years ago and love them. I’m now reading the new two.
Slipping back into the world is effortless. The characters are so well-fleshed out and still so different but equally similar to us.
This ends on a cliffhanger and luckily I have book 5 at hand. If any of my favourites die there’ll be serious words Ms Wells!
Slipping back into the world is effortless. The characters are so well-fleshed out and still so different but equally similar to us.
This ends on a cliffhanger and luckily I have book 5 at hand. If any of my favourites die there’ll be serious words Ms Wells!
February 27, 2016
Originally published at Risingshadow.
Martha Wells' The Edge of the Worlds is an outstanding and delightfully original fantasy novel for adults. It's a wonderful new instalment in the Books of the Raksura series. It's an unputdownable novel that hooks you from the very start, because it begins a new story arc that expands the author's fantasy world in an entertaining and exciting way. It's an excellent antidote to bland and mediocre fantasy novels that most bookshops are filled with, because it's pure quality from start to finish.
The Edge of Worlds is every bit as good and intriguing as the previous Raksura novels. It's everything that fans of the series have come to expect from the series - it's an entertaining, exciting and enjoyable novel with excellent characterisation and original story. It continues the saga of the shapeshifting Raksura in a fascinating way, because the author explores her fantasy world further and reveals new things to readers. It takes the beloved characters on a journey of discovery towards an ancient and unknown city that may contain something dangerous inside its walls.
Readers who are familiar with the previous novels will get the most out of The Edge of Worlds, but I think that newcomers will also love it, because it has been written in a way that allows new readers to enjoy it. It's possible that a few things may be difficult to understand if you haven't read any of the previous novels, but I'm sure that you'll enjoy the intriguing story. It's nice that the author reveals bits and pieces about the Raksura and their way of life as the story begins to ulfold, because it gives new readers an opportunity to get to know them better and old fans will be able to refreshen their memories about them. It's possible that The Edge of Worlds may be a bit overwhelming reading experience to new readers due to the amount of new names and races, but I advise readers to bear with it, because they'll be rewarded with a good story and everything will make sense when the story unfolds.
After being fascinated by the three previous novels and the two excellent short story collections, I had high expectations for this novel. I was positively surprised when the story exceeded my expectations and the author delivered the anticipated delights big time. I have to admit that I'm amazed at the amount of freshness this novel has. The author has created a strong story that rivals the previous novels and even surpasses them on certain levels. This novel is an irresistible tour-de-force of excellent storytelling and fine characterisation. I honestly think that we need more this kind of adult fantasy, because there are way too many mediocre fantasy novels that lack originality.
I consider The Edge of the Worlds to be one of the most addictive and entertaining fantasy novels of the year, because it's a thoroughly enjoyable and satisfyingly original novel that lacks all the weak spots that plague many contemporary fantasy novels. Martha Wells moves the story forward in an entertaining way and doesn't get stuck on meaningless issues, but masterfully keeps everything in motion and delivers surprises and fascinating scenes to her readers. It's great that she has paid attention to developing a good story and doesn't prematurely rush into action.
Here's a bit of information about the story:
- At the beginning, Moon and the other Raksura share a nightmare about the Fell attacking the Reaches and their colony. The Raksura feel uneasy about the shared dream, because nothing like it has ever happened before and nobody seems to know why it happened.
- A bit later, Moon and the others meet a Golden Islander called Delin who tells them of an ancient city that has been found by the people of Kish-Jandera. Delin fears that the city may have been built by the forerunners, just like the city that was discovered on the northwestern coast. Callumkal, Master Scholar of the Conclave of the Janderan, intends to enter the city and wishes to be as forearmed as possible. There are signs that the Fell may have found the ancient city.
- The Raksura decide to help the groundlings. A group of them accompany the groundlings to the ancient city...
If there are readers out there who haven't read any of the previous Raksura novels, below are a few words about the Raksura, because in order to fully enjoy this novel you need to know something about them.
The Raksura are shapeshifting beings who have the ability to shift their appearance from a winged form to a groundling form. The Raksuran court is ruled by a queen. There are two breeds of the Raksura: the Arbora who have no wings and the Aeriat who are winged Raksura. The Arbora are divided into four castes: hunters, mentors, soldiers and teachers, and the Aeriat are divided into warriors, consorts and queens.
I'll also say a few words about the Fell who are the enemy of the Raksura. The Fell are divided into major kethels, minor dakti, rulers and progenitors. Major kethel is the largest of the Fell and the dakti are smallest of the Fell, but neither are very intelligent. The rulers are intelligent and can control the lesser Fell.
The Raksuran colony and social hierarchy has an intriguingly entomological structure, because the author uses elements that remind readers of the insect world and how insects behave in hives. This adds an intriguing layer of depth and originality to the story.
One of the things that makes this novel a success is the social dynamics of the Raksura, because the author writes excellently about issues related to the Raksuran behaviour, relationships and court manners. What goes on in the Indigo Cloud Court and among its inhabitants is genuinely interesting, because the author examines politics and relationships in a fresh way. I love the way the author writes about these issues from Moon's perspective, because Moon is a bit different from the other Raksura and he easily notices the differences between him and the others.
The characterisation is excellent, because the author has created fully fleshed characters that continue to develop and grow with each new novel. Although the Raksura are not humans and differ from humans in terms of appearance and social structure, they resemble humans in certain ways and have humane feelings. It's great that all of the characters have their own distinct voices.
Moon is a genuinely interesting and wonderfully three-dimensional protagonist. In this novel, Moon has settled into his life as Jade's consort, but he still has a few things to learn. Because he grew up alone, he doesn't know everything about the Raksura and their secrets and abilities. He has accepted certain things about himself and the other Raksura, but still has a bit of problems with some of them. The other Raksura have learned to accept him and his slightly strange and independent behaviour, which differs quite a lot from what they've come to expect from consorts.
I enjoyed reading about Moon's struggle with his feelings, because the author writes convincingly about his feelings. He has a lot of things on his mind, because he has a clutch and should stay at the court, but he is not an ordinary consort. Because he is not a normal kind of a consort, he decides to participate in the voyage to the ancient city.
The dialogues between the different Raksura are nuanced and wonderfully poignant. Martha Wells has a talent for writing realistic dialogues that feel believable. I find it intriguing that there are small grains of humour and sarcasm in some of the dialogues, because it's refreshing to read this kind of dialogues.
The relationship between Pearl and the other Raksura is fascinating, because there are tensions. Pearl is a queen who has her own opinions about many things and her vision of how things should be may clash with the others. She has good days and bad days with some of the other Raksura. The loss of her consort seems to have affected her greatly and she hasn't recovered from it.
Rorra is an interesting character, because she's a sealing and can produce different scents that may be recognised by others. She has lost a set of fins and has been changed by a healer to be able to breath air at all times. She has found work with Callumkal.
Kalam is also an interesting character, because he's of different race and has recently chosen his gender. He hasn't yet learned to be wary of strangers, but is interested in exploring places.
I also liked the way the author wrote about Delin, Vendoin and Callumkal. In my opinion, she writes fluently about them.
It was fascinating to read about the forerunners and their secrets, because the Raksura and the Fell come from this ancient species. The forerunners are a mystery to the Raksura, because nobody knows anything about them.
It's nice that the author writes fluently and maturely about the sex life of the Raksura. Their different kind of biology allows them to have easy, friendly and casual sex. Breeding may be a serious business because of the various bloodlines, but sex is an altogether different matter.
The author also writes well about a species that chooses their gender when they're near maturity. I think it's great that she has created this kind of species, because it's difficult to find something like this in other fantasy novels.
Reading about the shared dream was very intriguing for me, because it had never happened before to the Raksura. They were aware of the fact it's theoretically possible for it to happen, but nobody had ever experienced it and knew nothing about it. They were worried about the dream, because it predicted doom for them in the form of the Fell attacking the Reaches.
I enjoyed reading about the voyage to the ancient city, because the author wrote well about it. It was genuinely intriguing to read about how Moon and the others travelled to the ancient on the flying boat and what they encountered during the voyage. I'm aware of the fact that there are readers out there who are used to constant action scenes and think that novels containing long voyages may be boring to read. I can say to these readers that there's nothing boring about the voyage in this novel, because the author's writing will keep you absorbed in the story.
The ancient city is a magnificent and mysterious sight. It will please readers who enjoy reading adventure stories that feature old and possibly dangerous cities. It was nice to read about how the Raksura tried to enter the city, because they feared that the Fell might spy on them. There's a wonderful sense of mystery in this novel, because the Raksura don't know what they may find in the city.
Just like in the previous novels, the fight scenes with the Fell are admirably executed and fresh. When you read about how the Raksura fight against the Fell, you'll be able to feel how much they hate and distrust the Fell.
The Edge of Worlds features a good balance between entertainment, originality, depth, adventure, politics and characterisation. It's actually amazing how fluently all of this works in this novel, because nothing feels forced or artificial. All the tiny pieces and different elements fit perfectly together and form a fantastic story.
One of the reasons why I like this novel and the whole series is that the author explores perfectly how the groundlings feel about the Raksura and vice versa. There are several tensions between them, because the groundlings often mistake the Raksura for the Fell due to their similar appearance. The groundlings may be confused, frightened and even hostile when they meet the Raksura.
What makes The Edge of Worlds stand out among other fantasy novels is the author's passion for storytelling and and her strong worldbuilding. Martha Wells has created a strong and addictive story that adds depth and more sense of wonder to her fantasy world. She has also created three-dimensional characters that are wonderfully realistic and even have flaws that make them all the more interesting.
Worldbuilding is excellent and stunningly original. The Three Worlds is a vast place that consists of different areas and is inhabited by several different species. The author writes fluently about the different areas and their inhabitants. I like the way she writes about the various species and how they differ from each other, because there's plenty of diversity in her fantasy world. There are fascinating differences between the species, because many of them are totally different from each other. In this novel, the author continues to reveal more information about her fantasy world and its various species.
I won't go into details about the ending, because I might end up revealing too much information, but I'll mention that it is excellent and offers intriguing happenings, well written action scenes and unexpected surprises to readers. The story will continue in the sequel, The Harbors of the Sun.
Before I write the final paragraphs of this review, I'll mention that I like the cover image by Yukari Masuike. It's a perfect cover image for this novel.
The Edge of Worlds is so impressive a novel that I can hardly wait to read the next novel. I think that everybody who reaches the final page will want to get their hands on the sequel as soon as possible. I'm sure that the next novel will be something special.
Martha Wells' The Edge of Worlds can be recommended to readers who want to read something out of the ordinary that immediately evokes feelings of fascination, mystery and wonder in the reader. It's not your average run-of-the-mill fantasy, because it has everything you could ever hope to find in an original and engaging fantasy novel. If you expect addictive storytelling and fascinating characters from your fantasy novels, you won't be disappointed by this novel. You're in for quite a rare treat when you let yourself be hooked by the story.
The Edge of Worlds is an essential and satisfying fantasy novel for those who love quality fantasy and want originality from their novels. Please, do yourself a big favour and read this fantastic novel as soon as possible.
Highly recommended!
Martha Wells' The Edge of the Worlds is an outstanding and delightfully original fantasy novel for adults. It's a wonderful new instalment in the Books of the Raksura series. It's an unputdownable novel that hooks you from the very start, because it begins a new story arc that expands the author's fantasy world in an entertaining and exciting way. It's an excellent antidote to bland and mediocre fantasy novels that most bookshops are filled with, because it's pure quality from start to finish.
The Edge of Worlds is every bit as good and intriguing as the previous Raksura novels. It's everything that fans of the series have come to expect from the series - it's an entertaining, exciting and enjoyable novel with excellent characterisation and original story. It continues the saga of the shapeshifting Raksura in a fascinating way, because the author explores her fantasy world further and reveals new things to readers. It takes the beloved characters on a journey of discovery towards an ancient and unknown city that may contain something dangerous inside its walls.
Readers who are familiar with the previous novels will get the most out of The Edge of Worlds, but I think that newcomers will also love it, because it has been written in a way that allows new readers to enjoy it. It's possible that a few things may be difficult to understand if you haven't read any of the previous novels, but I'm sure that you'll enjoy the intriguing story. It's nice that the author reveals bits and pieces about the Raksura and their way of life as the story begins to ulfold, because it gives new readers an opportunity to get to know them better and old fans will be able to refreshen their memories about them. It's possible that The Edge of Worlds may be a bit overwhelming reading experience to new readers due to the amount of new names and races, but I advise readers to bear with it, because they'll be rewarded with a good story and everything will make sense when the story unfolds.
After being fascinated by the three previous novels and the two excellent short story collections, I had high expectations for this novel. I was positively surprised when the story exceeded my expectations and the author delivered the anticipated delights big time. I have to admit that I'm amazed at the amount of freshness this novel has. The author has created a strong story that rivals the previous novels and even surpasses them on certain levels. This novel is an irresistible tour-de-force of excellent storytelling and fine characterisation. I honestly think that we need more this kind of adult fantasy, because there are way too many mediocre fantasy novels that lack originality.
I consider The Edge of the Worlds to be one of the most addictive and entertaining fantasy novels of the year, because it's a thoroughly enjoyable and satisfyingly original novel that lacks all the weak spots that plague many contemporary fantasy novels. Martha Wells moves the story forward in an entertaining way and doesn't get stuck on meaningless issues, but masterfully keeps everything in motion and delivers surprises and fascinating scenes to her readers. It's great that she has paid attention to developing a good story and doesn't prematurely rush into action.
Here's a bit of information about the story:
- At the beginning, Moon and the other Raksura share a nightmare about the Fell attacking the Reaches and their colony. The Raksura feel uneasy about the shared dream, because nothing like it has ever happened before and nobody seems to know why it happened.
- A bit later, Moon and the others meet a Golden Islander called Delin who tells them of an ancient city that has been found by the people of Kish-Jandera. Delin fears that the city may have been built by the forerunners, just like the city that was discovered on the northwestern coast. Callumkal, Master Scholar of the Conclave of the Janderan, intends to enter the city and wishes to be as forearmed as possible. There are signs that the Fell may have found the ancient city.
- The Raksura decide to help the groundlings. A group of them accompany the groundlings to the ancient city...
If there are readers out there who haven't read any of the previous Raksura novels, below are a few words about the Raksura, because in order to fully enjoy this novel you need to know something about them.
The Raksura are shapeshifting beings who have the ability to shift their appearance from a winged form to a groundling form. The Raksuran court is ruled by a queen. There are two breeds of the Raksura: the Arbora who have no wings and the Aeriat who are winged Raksura. The Arbora are divided into four castes: hunters, mentors, soldiers and teachers, and the Aeriat are divided into warriors, consorts and queens.
I'll also say a few words about the Fell who are the enemy of the Raksura. The Fell are divided into major kethels, minor dakti, rulers and progenitors. Major kethel is the largest of the Fell and the dakti are smallest of the Fell, but neither are very intelligent. The rulers are intelligent and can control the lesser Fell.
The Raksuran colony and social hierarchy has an intriguingly entomological structure, because the author uses elements that remind readers of the insect world and how insects behave in hives. This adds an intriguing layer of depth and originality to the story.
One of the things that makes this novel a success is the social dynamics of the Raksura, because the author writes excellently about issues related to the Raksuran behaviour, relationships and court manners. What goes on in the Indigo Cloud Court and among its inhabitants is genuinely interesting, because the author examines politics and relationships in a fresh way. I love the way the author writes about these issues from Moon's perspective, because Moon is a bit different from the other Raksura and he easily notices the differences between him and the others.
The characterisation is excellent, because the author has created fully fleshed characters that continue to develop and grow with each new novel. Although the Raksura are not humans and differ from humans in terms of appearance and social structure, they resemble humans in certain ways and have humane feelings. It's great that all of the characters have their own distinct voices.
Moon is a genuinely interesting and wonderfully three-dimensional protagonist. In this novel, Moon has settled into his life as Jade's consort, but he still has a few things to learn. Because he grew up alone, he doesn't know everything about the Raksura and their secrets and abilities. He has accepted certain things about himself and the other Raksura, but still has a bit of problems with some of them. The other Raksura have learned to accept him and his slightly strange and independent behaviour, which differs quite a lot from what they've come to expect from consorts.
I enjoyed reading about Moon's struggle with his feelings, because the author writes convincingly about his feelings. He has a lot of things on his mind, because he has a clutch and should stay at the court, but he is not an ordinary consort. Because he is not a normal kind of a consort, he decides to participate in the voyage to the ancient city.
The dialogues between the different Raksura are nuanced and wonderfully poignant. Martha Wells has a talent for writing realistic dialogues that feel believable. I find it intriguing that there are small grains of humour and sarcasm in some of the dialogues, because it's refreshing to read this kind of dialogues.
The relationship between Pearl and the other Raksura is fascinating, because there are tensions. Pearl is a queen who has her own opinions about many things and her vision of how things should be may clash with the others. She has good days and bad days with some of the other Raksura. The loss of her consort seems to have affected her greatly and she hasn't recovered from it.
Rorra is an interesting character, because she's a sealing and can produce different scents that may be recognised by others. She has lost a set of fins and has been changed by a healer to be able to breath air at all times. She has found work with Callumkal.
Kalam is also an interesting character, because he's of different race and has recently chosen his gender. He hasn't yet learned to be wary of strangers, but is interested in exploring places.
I also liked the way the author wrote about Delin, Vendoin and Callumkal. In my opinion, she writes fluently about them.
It was fascinating to read about the forerunners and their secrets, because the Raksura and the Fell come from this ancient species. The forerunners are a mystery to the Raksura, because nobody knows anything about them.
It's nice that the author writes fluently and maturely about the sex life of the Raksura. Their different kind of biology allows them to have easy, friendly and casual sex. Breeding may be a serious business because of the various bloodlines, but sex is an altogether different matter.
The author also writes well about a species that chooses their gender when they're near maturity. I think it's great that she has created this kind of species, because it's difficult to find something like this in other fantasy novels.
Reading about the shared dream was very intriguing for me, because it had never happened before to the Raksura. They were aware of the fact it's theoretically possible for it to happen, but nobody had ever experienced it and knew nothing about it. They were worried about the dream, because it predicted doom for them in the form of the Fell attacking the Reaches.
I enjoyed reading about the voyage to the ancient city, because the author wrote well about it. It was genuinely intriguing to read about how Moon and the others travelled to the ancient on the flying boat and what they encountered during the voyage. I'm aware of the fact that there are readers out there who are used to constant action scenes and think that novels containing long voyages may be boring to read. I can say to these readers that there's nothing boring about the voyage in this novel, because the author's writing will keep you absorbed in the story.
The ancient city is a magnificent and mysterious sight. It will please readers who enjoy reading adventure stories that feature old and possibly dangerous cities. It was nice to read about how the Raksura tried to enter the city, because they feared that the Fell might spy on them. There's a wonderful sense of mystery in this novel, because the Raksura don't know what they may find in the city.
Just like in the previous novels, the fight scenes with the Fell are admirably executed and fresh. When you read about how the Raksura fight against the Fell, you'll be able to feel how much they hate and distrust the Fell.
The Edge of Worlds features a good balance between entertainment, originality, depth, adventure, politics and characterisation. It's actually amazing how fluently all of this works in this novel, because nothing feels forced or artificial. All the tiny pieces and different elements fit perfectly together and form a fantastic story.
One of the reasons why I like this novel and the whole series is that the author explores perfectly how the groundlings feel about the Raksura and vice versa. There are several tensions between them, because the groundlings often mistake the Raksura for the Fell due to their similar appearance. The groundlings may be confused, frightened and even hostile when they meet the Raksura.
What makes The Edge of Worlds stand out among other fantasy novels is the author's passion for storytelling and and her strong worldbuilding. Martha Wells has created a strong and addictive story that adds depth and more sense of wonder to her fantasy world. She has also created three-dimensional characters that are wonderfully realistic and even have flaws that make them all the more interesting.
Worldbuilding is excellent and stunningly original. The Three Worlds is a vast place that consists of different areas and is inhabited by several different species. The author writes fluently about the different areas and their inhabitants. I like the way she writes about the various species and how they differ from each other, because there's plenty of diversity in her fantasy world. There are fascinating differences between the species, because many of them are totally different from each other. In this novel, the author continues to reveal more information about her fantasy world and its various species.
I won't go into details about the ending, because I might end up revealing too much information, but I'll mention that it is excellent and offers intriguing happenings, well written action scenes and unexpected surprises to readers. The story will continue in the sequel, The Harbors of the Sun.
Before I write the final paragraphs of this review, I'll mention that I like the cover image by Yukari Masuike. It's a perfect cover image for this novel.
The Edge of Worlds is so impressive a novel that I can hardly wait to read the next novel. I think that everybody who reaches the final page will want to get their hands on the sequel as soon as possible. I'm sure that the next novel will be something special.
Martha Wells' The Edge of Worlds can be recommended to readers who want to read something out of the ordinary that immediately evokes feelings of fascination, mystery and wonder in the reader. It's not your average run-of-the-mill fantasy, because it has everything you could ever hope to find in an original and engaging fantasy novel. If you expect addictive storytelling and fascinating characters from your fantasy novels, you won't be disappointed by this novel. You're in for quite a rare treat when you let yourself be hooked by the story.
The Edge of Worlds is an essential and satisfying fantasy novel for those who love quality fantasy and want originality from their novels. Please, do yourself a big favour and read this fantastic novel as soon as possible.
Highly recommended!
December 25, 2018
The Raksura are back, and a new problem arises, a few years after Moon and company's experience in that prison from the "Siren Depths". Moon and Jade now have a clutch, and consequently, Moon feels torn at the thought of leaving them to investigate the cause of a horrific dream of a Fell invasion of Indigo Court.
Encountering an old friend, Delin, the raksura join with a groundling expedition to a new city, similar enough to the prison to have the Raksura deeply concerned. The Fell quickly make their appearance, and things go from bad to worse quickly, before things get really bad, just before Malachite shows up with Shade, Lithe and many warriors.
It was just like visiting with old friends when I opened this novel. I've come to really love reading about these creatures, and their often bemused reaction to the other species on their planet. The characterization's great, and there's plenty of action, with a new and worrisome forerunner situation, not to mention groundling politics going on in this book. The story ends on a cliffhanger, and I cannot wait to find out what happens next with Moon, Jade and the others.
Encountering an old friend, Delin, the raksura join with a groundling expedition to a new city, similar enough to the prison to have the Raksura deeply concerned. The Fell quickly make their appearance, and things go from bad to worse quickly, before things get really bad, just before Malachite shows up with Shade, Lithe and many warriors.
It was just like visiting with old friends when I opened this novel. I've come to really love reading about these creatures, and their often bemused reaction to the other species on their planet. The characterization's great, and there's plenty of action, with a new and worrisome forerunner situation, not to mention groundling politics going on in this book. The story ends on a cliffhanger, and I cannot wait to find out what happens next with Moon, Jade and the others.
June 20, 2016
Jade: "Not every problem can be solved by you trying to get yourself killed."
Moon: "Not every problem but this one could be."
Then a bit later.
Moon: "We were slowing it down for you because you're old."
Stone: "Slowing it down by throwing yourselves into its mouth? Did you think it was a picky eater?"
Moon! You always crack me up! I love you!
I LOVED THIS! LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVED THIS! But now I'm crushed! I have another year to wait. That ending! That slight cliffhanger! Whhhhhhhhhhy?!?!
I loved all the characters in this. I really like the promise of the Fell plot thread. The one short seen with Ember was also nice. I really like how his character is rounding out, despite how little time he has in the books. And then the plot! I was so expecting one thing, maybe multiple things, and it was all total red herrings. XD~ The ending really caught me by surprise. I'm still like WAIT?! WHAAAAAAAT? I'm a total pacifist but gimme the ability to shift or a gun and I'd be right there with them. People gunna die in the next book. T_T
And I still have to wait a YEAR for the next one!
February 22, 2024
I was a little apprehensive going into this series, because the previous trilogy had ended so well! But, as usual, I found both the Raksura and the world they live in irresistible. This is a delightful continuation of the series, and this and its sequel complete Moon's arc and introduce great new characters (and some fascinating new wrinkles).
If I'd read this when it first came out, I'd probably have been frustrated at where the book ended, but fortunately I could just go right on to the next one.
All in all, a great entry in a great series in a great world.
If I'd read this when it first came out, I'd probably have been frustrated at where the book ended, but fortunately I could just go right on to the next one.
All in all, a great entry in a great series in a great world.
March 27, 2016
Really enjoyable place to jump in. I had a bit of catching up to do since I haven't read the first trilogy, but there were enough hints to help me out. There were a few too many references to past events to really call this a standalone trilogy though. The world and magic and entire ecosystem is so fascinating and my heart was pounding during the action scenes. There is a bit of a cliffhanger though so be warned!
December 29, 2023
2.9⭐
Another decent fantasy adventure story about Martha Wells' shape-shifting/flying/ lizard people, the Raksura. This time our heroes Moon, Jade and their entire Cloud Indigo Court experience a horrifying shared dream that seems to predict all of their deaths. This leads them on a quest to an ancient, forgotten city but whether they will prevent the disastrous vision or cause it, they can't be sure.
This is the first part of a two book series within the Raksura saga. I look forward to the sequel, The Harbors of the Sun, which is also the last in the series ( so far). Wells' efforts now seem focused on her terrific Murderbot stories but who knows?
I also liked that this was a cliffhanger with an actual cliff (escarpment) but we're only left hanging metaphorically. Nice light entertainment.
Another decent fantasy adventure story about Martha Wells' shape-shifting/flying/ lizard people, the Raksura. This time our heroes Moon, Jade and their entire Cloud Indigo Court experience a horrifying shared dream that seems to predict all of their deaths. This leads them on a quest to an ancient, forgotten city but whether they will prevent the disastrous vision or cause it, they can't be sure.
This is the first part of a two book series within the Raksura saga. I look forward to the sequel, The Harbors of the Sun, which is also the last in the series ( so far). Wells' efforts now seem focused on her terrific Murderbot stories but who knows?
I also liked that this was a cliffhanger with an actual cliff (escarpment) but we're only left hanging metaphorically. Nice light entertainment.
February 6, 2023
Not as good as the others
So yeah, this wasn't great. Though it did have some of the things that made the other books so awesome: likeable characters, fascinating landscapes and cities and a wide variety of interesting races.
But some things just didn't sit right with me. What irritated me the most was the development of the main characters Moon and Jade pertaining to their gender roles. The Raksura have always had a very strict gender system with prescribed roles for males and females - like the one we used to have in the 1800s - but in reverse: The consorts (fertile male Aeriats) are supposed to be submissive and shy while their female pendants - the queens - are fierce and aggressive. But Martha Wells then proceeded to show us very cleverly in the first three books that these supposedly inherent traits are in fact learned - with the example of Moon, a consort, who has lived his whole life away from the Raksuran courts and doesn't behave like a consort is supposed to. The court he eventually joins isn't happy about it, but eventually they start to accept this. It even comes in handy when the court is in danger (which is almost always), because Moon is very experienced in this sort of thing.
But in this book Moon and his queen Jade are slipping more and more into their prescribed roles - with no explanation and for whatever reason. Which is too bad, because it makes me like them a lot less than I used to. Jade for example was a great character in the first books, because she was strong but not overpowering and accepted Moon how he is. The result was that they were mostly equals and acted like partners which is how IMHO all relationships should be. In 'The Edge of Worlds', however, Jade is all too often telling Moon (and once even Stone) to stay behind and let her handle this - for no other reason than because she's a queen and he a consort. And Moon actually lets her! What irks me the most is that there really is no reason for them to act like this, except that this is how they are supposed to act. It is also never questioned.
Another thing I could have done without were the POV-changes. They really weren't necessary for the plot and also kind of confusing since there are just so many characters to keep track of - thankfully they didn't occur very often.
The next annoying factor was the open ending - there was really too much left unsolved, like . It doesn't make me eager for the next book, it's just frustrating.
Also (though this is just a minor issue) what's with the swear words? Phrases like "What the shit is this" or "this shitting city" sound kind of weird. Why not just say "fuck"/"fucking"?
And last but not least: Why did the book have to be released in hardcover?
So don't get me wrong - this wasn't a bad book. As a standalone book from any other author I could have overlooked the faults, because the plot was interesting enough and the Raksura are really awesome (at least most of the time), but as the fourth (or sixth) book in this series and apparently "the start of a new saga" this was pretty weak and disappointing.
So yeah, this wasn't great. Though it did have some of the things that made the other books so awesome: likeable characters, fascinating landscapes and cities and a wide variety of interesting races.
But some things just didn't sit right with me. What irritated me the most was the development of the main characters Moon and Jade pertaining to their gender roles. The Raksura have always had a very strict gender system with prescribed roles for males and females - like the one we used to have in the 1800s - but in reverse: The consorts (fertile male Aeriats) are supposed to be submissive and shy while their female pendants - the queens - are fierce and aggressive. But Martha Wells then proceeded to show us very cleverly in the first three books that these supposedly inherent traits are in fact learned - with the example of Moon, a consort, who has lived his whole life away from the Raksuran courts and doesn't behave like a consort is supposed to. The court he eventually joins isn't happy about it, but eventually they start to accept this. It even comes in handy when the court is in danger (which is almost always), because Moon is very experienced in this sort of thing.
But in this book Moon and his queen Jade are slipping more and more into their prescribed roles - with no explanation and for whatever reason. Which is too bad, because it makes me like them a lot less than I used to. Jade for example was a great character in the first books, because she was strong but not overpowering and accepted Moon how he is. The result was that they were mostly equals and acted like partners which is how IMHO all relationships should be. In 'The Edge of Worlds', however, Jade is all too often telling Moon (and once even Stone) to stay behind and let her handle this - for no other reason than because she's a queen and he a consort. And Moon actually lets her! What irks me the most is that there really is no reason for them to act like this, except that this is how they are supposed to act. It is also never questioned.
Another thing I could have done without were the POV-changes. They really weren't necessary for the plot and also kind of confusing since there are just so many characters to keep track of - thankfully they didn't occur very often.
The next annoying factor was the open ending - there was really too much left unsolved, like . It doesn't make me eager for the next book, it's just frustrating.
Also (though this is just a minor issue) what's with the swear words? Phrases like "What the shit is this" or "this shitting city" sound kind of weird. Why not just say "fuck"/"fucking"?
And last but not least: Why did the book have to be released in hardcover?
So don't get me wrong - this wasn't a bad book. As a standalone book from any other author I could have overlooked the faults, because the plot was interesting enough and the Raksura are really awesome (at least most of the time), but as the fourth (or sixth) book in this series and apparently "the start of a new saga" this was pretty weak and disappointing.
July 19, 2018
There's a pattern to the Books of the Raksura. The first sixty percent or so seems to really focus on the characters and their emotions and drama. There's not a lot in the way of plot, and there's is very much a lot in the way of angst. Then the plot kicks in and whatever drama was upsetting Moon is either resolved quickly or put aside until the action finished, whereby its solved quickly after. I definitely enjoy the why does Moon feel bad this times portions of the books over the action portions. Mostly because once the action starts there's generally nothing but action, and that's not what I look for in reading.
Unfortunately for me this book bucked the pattern, and the plot gets into gear almost right away. It doesn't make it a bad book, but if you're a reader like me who wants to see lots of characters having emotions in each others faces it was a little disappointing. I would have liked to see River's redemption arc get more than the bare attention it got here, I would have liked to see more of Moon with his clutch, I always want to see more Moon and Chime, or more conflict over Jade's tendency to try and shelter Moon. There were glimpses of these things, but not nearly enough.
This does very much feel like half of one book as opposed to a complete book though, so maybe there will be more of these things in the next one? I did enjoy this book, but not as much as the others, and it took me a stupidly long time to read.
Unfortunately for me this book bucked the pattern, and the plot gets into gear almost right away. It doesn't make it a bad book, but if you're a reader like me who wants to see lots of characters having emotions in each others faces it was a little disappointing. I would have liked to see River's redemption arc get more than the bare attention it got here, I would have liked to see more of Moon with his clutch, I always want to see more Moon and Chime, or more conflict over Jade's tendency to try and shelter Moon. There were glimpses of these things, but not nearly enough.
This does very much feel like half of one book as opposed to a complete book though, so maybe there will be more of these things in the next one? I did enjoy this book, but not as much as the others, and it took me a stupidly long time to read.
July 17, 2016
This book should really be called "Edge of Worlds: Chapters 1-23, we'll publish the rest when we feel like it." Because it's really not a stand-alone, or even a part of a series, in any way shape or form. Very little actually happens in this book, nothing whatsoever is resolved, and it ends so abruptly that at first I suspected my kindle app ate some of it. Until I saw the "About the Author" blurb on the last page... And even then I doubted myself and went back to Amazon to see if I missed something. But no, it's not just me, apparently everyone else got the same (very curtailed) text.
So this gets 2.5 stars for one half of what I assume will be an excellent book, once the powers that be decide to write or publish it (that's me giving them the benefit of the doubt here). Minus 0.5 stars for false advertising, because nowhere does it say that the story is part of a larger series. Sure, it's Raksura part 4, but all the other books were stand-alones. So is this one part of a series of 2? or 3? or 10? or will it remain perpetually unresolved as long as the money keeps coming, and then end abruptly, still unresolved, when the readers finally get bored???
So this gets 2.5 stars for one half of what I assume will be an excellent book, once the powers that be decide to write or publish it (that's me giving them the benefit of the doubt here). Minus 0.5 stars for false advertising, because nowhere does it say that the story is part of a larger series. Sure, it's Raksura part 4, but all the other books were stand-alones. So is this one part of a series of 2? or 3? or 10? or will it remain perpetually unresolved as long as the money keeps coming, and then end abruptly, still unresolved, when the readers finally get bored???
May 20, 2024
Gorgeous writing and wonderful characters, as always. The cliffhanger ending, though, has me desperate for the final book in this series!
July 22, 2019
This is an open end part 1 of a two-parter, so I will write my review at the end of the second book.
November 30, 2022
Rating: Loved It, 4.5 stars
This is the 4th full length book in the overall Books of the Raksura series by Martha Wells. So I won't really go into plot pieces at all, but I was honestly a bit underwhelmed by this at first. I will say that the world and the characters are absolutely what make this book and series shine.
By the end of the third book I was feeling like the books were a bit repetitive in terms of plot beats, but I didn't care that much because I love the world. The characters are the type that you don't realize you love them as much as you do until you're already super deep into the thick of things. I was reading this, and for a lot of the book I was thinking that it was fine, but it wasn't anything super new, but I was enjoying being back in this world with all my favorites.
However, then the end happened and holy cow. This one doesn't wrap up all nice and neat like the others, it cuts off right in the middle of the story, and the story is really getting good. I am super excited to see how this all resolves. However, because the first part felt a little bit long, I don't think I can give this a full five stars. I think that what I've decided is that Martha Wells really shines in her shortform fiction thus far. The short stories in this series have been my favorite installments, and I think the Murderbot novellas are also my favorites.
Overall, this was a great installment and I can't wait to wrap up this series. Definitely a new favorite from this year. Highly recommend!
This is the 4th full length book in the overall Books of the Raksura series by Martha Wells. So I won't really go into plot pieces at all, but I was honestly a bit underwhelmed by this at first. I will say that the world and the characters are absolutely what make this book and series shine.
By the end of the third book I was feeling like the books were a bit repetitive in terms of plot beats, but I didn't care that much because I love the world. The characters are the type that you don't realize you love them as much as you do until you're already super deep into the thick of things. I was reading this, and for a lot of the book I was thinking that it was fine, but it wasn't anything super new, but I was enjoying being back in this world with all my favorites.
However, then the end happened and holy cow. This one doesn't wrap up all nice and neat like the others, it cuts off right in the middle of the story, and the story is really getting good. I am super excited to see how this all resolves. However, because the first part felt a little bit long, I don't think I can give this a full five stars. I think that what I've decided is that Martha Wells really shines in her shortform fiction thus far. The short stories in this series have been my favorite installments, and I think the Murderbot novellas are also my favorites.
Overall, this was a great installment and I can't wait to wrap up this series. Definitely a new favorite from this year. Highly recommend!
April 3, 2016
This is the fourth book in the Raksura series and I'm going to be honest, what actually happens in the story, plotwise, wasn't all that interesting to me as our favourite Raksura join up with the perpetually curious and undaunted historian, Delin, and a group of groundlings and sealings intent on discovering the secrets of another ancient city. After their experiences in The Siren Depths, the Raksura are nervous about anything that could be related to their forerunners, but if this city was built by the foundation builders, there could be so much to learn. No matter the results of their discovery, the ever present Fell are on their tails, seeking the same city for reasons of their own.
How this all comes together, from the Raksura's shared dream of the Fell, to expeditions on flying boats, to a very long walk up stairs, gets a bit tedious, logistically. And yet I was totally into it the whole way. Why? Because I love the Raksura of Indigo Cloud. I've spent four books with them now and can't get enough of their intricate and intimate lives. I've come to know them so well that I have renamed the books to be more reflective of my journey with them:
Book 1: A Raksura and a Fell Walk Into a Groundling Bar
Book 2: Moon Teaches Everyone How to Groundling
Book 3: Moon Still Doesn't Know How to Raksura
Book 4: Stone is Too Old For This Shit But He Does It Anyway for Shits and Giggles
I fell in love with Wells' worldbuilding and her unique creatures from the beginning, in The Cloud Roads, and now I am happy to see them continue their misadventures just so I can get more of their amusing interactions. I still enjoy learning about the ways of the Raksura. Initially, this came through Moon, who, after 40 turns spent not knowing he was one, has only just settled into his role as a Raksuran consort and is finally being accepted by everyone such that his trouble adhering to the rules at times is overlooked. In the fourth book, time is spent with creatures who fear or look down on the Raksura because of their ignorance of the reclusive race that happens to resemble the deadly Fell. These new creatures, who have their own unique ways that Wells deftly incorporates into her world, get to learn about Raskuran views on nudity and sex, their pecking order, from consort to warrior to queen, and the importance of nap time.
I especially love Moon and line-grandfather Stone who is older than everyone and does what he wants and also can hulk out so he just doesn't give a damn about all the Raksuran rules and etiquette that's required of everyone else. Stone was the one who recognized Moon for what he was and brought him back to Indigo Cloud's court. Now that Moon is more comfortable in his role and his place within the court and has more than proven himself in everyone's eyes, including Stone's, their relationship has settled into a loving rivalry of sarcasm and mutual (dis)respect.
Stone shrugged one shoulder. “I’ve seen one before. And somebody has to stay down here and keep an eye on the boat.”“So you’re just tired?” Moon said. Stone pushed him off the railing.
What I really need is more books about Moon and Stone hanging out, trading barbs and sharing donuts. But back to the actual story for a moment. This book was a bit unusual in that the stories have always been told from Moon's perspective. That is still true here, but Wells interrupts with a few other characters, including ones from another court. This is all well and good if more is to come from these characters, especially with some of them following days behind our group of Raksura. But instead of everyone coming together, I found myself coming to the end of the book and wondering why any time had been spent with the other characters at all. Save for providing me with a bit more insight into the consort's life through Ember, for example (I bet Stone has an awesome tea set):
"Ember led the way to the steps down to the passage that led through to the queens’ hall, and he and Shade made what Ember considered to be a very decorous and correct entrance. Ember liked and admired Moon a great deal, but he wasn’t very good at entrances. He entered formal meetings looking either like a captive dragged there against his will or like he was coming to murder someone."
But the other perspectives didn't add anything to the story that couldn't have been filled in with a few lines of dialogue when everyone *finally* got together. Moreover, this book is described as a good place for new readers to step into the Raksura series. While you do get to learn a lot about them through their interactions with the other people on their expedition, a new reader would miss out on the nuance behind all the interactions and relationships that can't simply be explained away with a few lines of dialogue or description.
Still, this is a worthy entry into the series if only because it lets me sit back and have more fun with Stone and Moon.
This review is based on an advanced reader copy of the book.
www.bibliosanctum.com
How this all comes together, from the Raksura's shared dream of the Fell, to expeditions on flying boats, to a very long walk up stairs, gets a bit tedious, logistically. And yet I was totally into it the whole way. Why? Because I love the Raksura of Indigo Cloud. I've spent four books with them now and can't get enough of their intricate and intimate lives. I've come to know them so well that I have renamed the books to be more reflective of my journey with them:
Book 1: A Raksura and a Fell Walk Into a Groundling Bar
Book 2: Moon Teaches Everyone How to Groundling
Book 3: Moon Still Doesn't Know How to Raksura
Book 4: Stone is Too Old For This Shit But He Does It Anyway for Shits and Giggles
I fell in love with Wells' worldbuilding and her unique creatures from the beginning, in The Cloud Roads, and now I am happy to see them continue their misadventures just so I can get more of their amusing interactions. I still enjoy learning about the ways of the Raksura. Initially, this came through Moon, who, after 40 turns spent not knowing he was one, has only just settled into his role as a Raksuran consort and is finally being accepted by everyone such that his trouble adhering to the rules at times is overlooked. In the fourth book, time is spent with creatures who fear or look down on the Raksura because of their ignorance of the reclusive race that happens to resemble the deadly Fell. These new creatures, who have their own unique ways that Wells deftly incorporates into her world, get to learn about Raskuran views on nudity and sex, their pecking order, from consort to warrior to queen, and the importance of nap time.
I especially love Moon and line-grandfather Stone who is older than everyone and does what he wants and also can hulk out so he just doesn't give a damn about all the Raksuran rules and etiquette that's required of everyone else. Stone was the one who recognized Moon for what he was and brought him back to Indigo Cloud's court. Now that Moon is more comfortable in his role and his place within the court and has more than proven himself in everyone's eyes, including Stone's, their relationship has settled into a loving rivalry of sarcasm and mutual (dis)respect.
Stone shrugged one shoulder. “I’ve seen one before. And somebody has to stay down here and keep an eye on the boat.”“So you’re just tired?” Moon said. Stone pushed him off the railing.
What I really need is more books about Moon and Stone hanging out, trading barbs and sharing donuts. But back to the actual story for a moment. This book was a bit unusual in that the stories have always been told from Moon's perspective. That is still true here, but Wells interrupts with a few other characters, including ones from another court. This is all well and good if more is to come from these characters, especially with some of them following days behind our group of Raksura. But instead of everyone coming together, I found myself coming to the end of the book and wondering why any time had been spent with the other characters at all. Save for providing me with a bit more insight into the consort's life through Ember, for example (I bet Stone has an awesome tea set):
"Ember led the way to the steps down to the passage that led through to the queens’ hall, and he and Shade made what Ember considered to be a very decorous and correct entrance. Ember liked and admired Moon a great deal, but he wasn’t very good at entrances. He entered formal meetings looking either like a captive dragged there against his will or like he was coming to murder someone."
But the other perspectives didn't add anything to the story that couldn't have been filled in with a few lines of dialogue when everyone *finally* got together. Moreover, this book is described as a good place for new readers to step into the Raksura series. While you do get to learn a lot about them through their interactions with the other people on their expedition, a new reader would miss out on the nuance behind all the interactions and relationships that can't simply be explained away with a few lines of dialogue or description.
Still, this is a worthy entry into the series if only because it lets me sit back and have more fun with Stone and Moon.
This review is based on an advanced reader copy of the book.
www.bibliosanctum.com
Displaying 1 - 30 of 399 reviews